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International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia

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Statistics about international trade in goods and services, on a balance of payments and international trade basis.

Reference period

January 2022

Released

3/03/2022

View all releases

Key statistics

The seasonally adjusted balance on goods and services surplus increased $4,067m to $12,891m in January.
Goods and services credits (exports) rose $3,487m (8%) to $49,251m, driven by a rise in exports of Metal ores and minerals.
Goods and services debits (imports) fell $581m (2%) to $36,359m, driven by falls in Telecommunications equipment and Capital goods n.e.s..

Main features

Key Figures, Seasonally Adjusted
		Nov-21 ($m)	Dec-21 ($m)	Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 (%)
Balance on goods and services		9,960	8,824	12,891	4,067	na
	Credits (Exports of goods & services)	45,259	45,764	49,251	3,487	8
	Debits (Imports of goods & services)	- 35,299	- 36,940	- 36,359	- 581	- 2

na not applicable

Balance on goods and services
	Seasonally Adjusted ($m)
Oct-20	6,703
Nov-20	5,701
Dec-20	8,358
Jan-21	9,861
Feb-21	8,375
Mar-21	6,700
Apr-21	9,015
May-21	10,022
Jun-21	11,337
Jul-21	13,273
Aug-21	12,804
Sep-21	11,449
Oct-21	10,940
Nov-21	9,960
Dec-21	8,824
Jan-22	12,891

Balance on goods and services

["","Seasonally Adjusted"]

[["Oct-20","Nov-20","Dec-20","Jan-21","Feb-21","Mar-21","Apr-21","May-21","Jun-21","Jul-21","Aug-21","Sep-21","Oct-21","Nov-21","Dec-21","Jan-22"],[[6703],[5701],[8358],[9861],[8375],[6700],[9015],[10022],[11337],[13273],[12804],[11449],[10940],[9960],[8824],[12891]]]

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COVID-19

Suspension of trend estimates

The trend series attempts to measure underlying behaviour in international trade activity. In the short term, this measurement will be significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent changes to regular patterns in international trade resulting from it. If the trend estimates in this publication were to be calculated without fully accounting for this unusual event they would provide a misleading view of underlying international trade activity.

It may be some time before the underlying trend in international trade activity can be accurately estimated. The trend series has therefore been suspended from March 2019 and will be reinstated when more certainty emerges.

Seasonal adjustment and COVID-19

International Accounts uses the concurrent seasonal adjustment method, meaning that seasonal factors are re-estimated each time new data becomes available. If not appropriately accounted for, unusual events such as COVID-19 can distort estimates calculated using this method. From March 2020, seasonal factors for series that have been notably impacted by COVID-19 will be calculated using data up to and including February 2020, then projected from March 2020 onwards. This approach, known as the forward factor method, ensures that seasonal factors are not distorted by COVID-19 impacts.

The ABS has advised users that it moved to using forward factors for seasonal analysis of a number of series, including Travel Services. Current ABS (and international) practice requires at least three years of data to assess whether a change in seasonal pattern has occurred. Should COVID-19 result in a long-term change to the seasonal pattern then revisions to these series may occur in the future. The ABS will consult with users on any future methods changes to seasonal adjustment and potential revisions. The Feature Article International travel services time series outlines the matter in greater detail.

Quality of international trade in services statistics

Monthly International Trade in Services statistics (ITS) are compiled using multiple data sources. These data, compared with the publication reference period, are lagged. The lag in data results in most ITS estimates being nowcast when initially published. In recent times, these estimates have been more volatile, due in part to COVID-19 but also due to services data availability. While the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) make every effort to ensure estimates of monthly ITS are reflective and robust, in the current environment, the ABS recommends monthly services estimates be interpreted and used with caution. The International Trade in Services; Concepts, Source and Methods outlines this in further detail.

Changes to timing of release of International Trade, Supplementary Information, financial year (2020-21) and calendar year (2021)

COVID-19 has impacted the availability and quality of source data used to compile international trade in services estimates. As a result the 2020-2021 and 2021 International Trade, Supplementary Information publications (former cat. Nos. 5368.0.55.003 and 5368.0.55.004) have been delayed. Both publications are expected to be released commencing from June 2022.

Changes in this issue

Balance on goods and services

In seasonally adjusted terms, the balance on goods and services was a surplus of $12,891m in January 2022, an increase of $4,067m on the surplus in December 2021.

Balance on goods and services(a), seasonally adjusted
			Nov-21 ($m)	Dec-21 ($m)	Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 (%)
Balance on goods and services			9,960	8,824	12,891	4,067	na
	Total goods and services credits		45,259	45,764	49,251	3,487	8
		Total goods credits	40,466	40,904	44,400	3,496	9
		Total services credits	4,793	4,860	4,850	- 10	-
	Total goods and services debits		- 35,299	- 36,940	- 36,359	- 581	- 2
		Total goods debits	- 30,374	- 31,969	- 31,160	- 809	- 3
		Total services debits	- 4,925	- 4,972	- 5,199	227	5

na not applicable
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
(a) For sign conventions, see the Explanatory notes.

Goods and services credits (exports), seasonally adjusted

Goods credits

	Seasonally Adjusted ($m)	Trend (a) ($m)
Jan-18	26,637	26,094
Feb-18	26,983	26,544
Mar-18	26,735	27,042
Apr-18	27,087	27,586
May-18	28,103	28,166
Jun-18	29,105	28,804
Jul-18	29,506	29,414
Aug-18	29,955	29,896
Sep-18	30,195	30,187
Oct-18	30,659	30,363
Nov-18	30,672	30,496
Dec-18	30,121	30,663
Jan-19	31,298	30,926
Feb-19	31,409	31,376
Mar-19	30,344	-
Apr-19	31,433	-
May-19	33,887	-
Jun-19	34,297	-
Jul-19	35,107	-
Aug-19	33,284	-
Sep-19	33,894	-
Oct-19	31,596	-
Nov-19	31,949	-
Dec-19	32,037	-
Jan-20	30,685	-
Feb-20	28,480	-
Mar-20	34,255	-
Apr-20	31,699	-
May-20	29,160	-
Jun-20	29,453	-
Jul-20	28,844	-
Aug-20	27,883	-
Sep-20	28,640	-
Oct-20	30,388	-
Nov-20	31,660	-
Dec-20	33,307	-
Jan-21	34,539	-
Feb-21	34,658	-
Mar-21	34,300	-
Apr-21	35,659	-
May-21	37,343	-
Jun-21	38,891	-
Jul-21	41,254	-
Aug-21	42,185	-
Sep-21	39,441	-
Oct-21	38,846	-
Nov-21	40,466	-
Dec-21	40,904	-
Jan-22	44,400	-

["","Seasonally Adjusted","Trend (a)"]

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(a) Trend series suspended from March 2019.

Goods credits, seasonally adjusted
			Nov-21 ($m)	Dec-21 ($m)	Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 (%)
Total goods credits			40,466	40,904	44,400	3,496	9
	General merchandise		38,463	38,575	42,406	3,831	10
		Rural goods	5,527	5,406	5,801	395	7
		Non-rural goods	32,937	33,169	36,606	3,437	10
	Net exports of goods under merchanting(a)		32	31	24	- 7	- 23
	Non-monetary gold(a)		1,971	2,298	1,970	- 328	- 14

(a) This component is not seasonally adjusted.

Rural goods

Rural goods, seasonally adjusted
	Nov-21 ($m)	Dec-21 ($m)	Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 (%)
Rural goods	5,527	5,406	5,801	395	7
	Meat and meat preparations	1,354	1,380	1,437	57	4
	Cereal grains and cereal preparations	1,566	1,529	1,421	- 108	- 7
	Wool and sheepskins	285	291	300	9	3
	Other rural(a)	2,322	2,207	2,643	436	20

Non-rural goods

Non-rural goods, seasonally adjusted
		Nov-21 ($m)	Dec-21 ($m)	Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 (%)
Non-rural goods	32,937	33,169	36,606	3,437	10
	Metal ores and minerals	11,254	12,647	14,542	1,895	15
	Coal, coke and briquettes	8,619	7,447	8,692	1,245	17
	Other mineral fuels(a)	7,217	7,179	6,731	- 448	- 6
	Metals (excl. non-monetary gold)	1,159	1,142	1,233	91	8
	Machinery	954	975	1,145	170	17
	Transport equipment	332	337	417	80	24
	Other manufactures	1,857	1,975	2,275	300	15
	Other non-rural (incl. sugar and beverages)(b)	1,323	1,227	1,313	86	7
	Goods procured in ports by carriers(a)	222	239	259	20	8

Services credits

	Seasonally Adjusted ($m)	Trend (a) ($m)
Jan-18	7,348	7,313
Feb-18	7,541	7,417
Mar-18	7,519	7,512
Apr-18	7,579	7,586
May-18	7,613	7,642
Jun-18	7,694	7,692
Jul-18	7,713	7,746
Aug-18	7,832	7,806
Sep-18	7,871	7,866
Oct-18	7,953	7,925
Nov-18	7,966	7,984
Dec-18	8,009	8,044
Jan-19	8,099	8,106
Feb-19	8,240	8,171
Mar-19	8,210	-
Apr-19	8,292	-
May-19	8,391	-
Jun-19	8,475	-
Jul-19	8,546	-
Aug-19	8,632	-
Sep-19	8,669	-
Oct-19	8,750	-
Nov-19	8,763	-
Dec-19	8,771	-
Jan-20	8,204	-
Feb-20	7,468	-
Mar-20	6,898	-
Apr-20	5,465	-
May-20	5,562	-
Jun-20	5,758	-
Jul-20	5,277	-
Aug-20	5,087	-
Sep-20	5,275	-
Oct-20	5,363	-
Nov-20	5,441	-
Dec-20	5,405	-
Jan-21	5,316	-
Feb-21	5,122	-
Mar-21	5,023	-
Apr-21	4,981	-
May-21	5,164	-
Jun-21	5,307	-
Jul-21	5,031	-
Aug-21	4,899	-
Sep-21	5,050	-
Oct-21	4,702	-
Nov-21	4,793	-
Dec-21	4,860	-
Jan-22	4,850	-

["","Seasonally Adjusted","Trend (a)"]

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(a) Trend series suspended from March 2019.

Services credits, seasonally adjusted
			Nov-21 ($m)	Dec-21 ($m)	Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 (%)
Total services credits			4,793	4,860	4,850	- 10	-
	Manufacturing services on physical inputs owned by others(a)		2	2	-	- 2	- 100
	Maintenance and repair services n.i.e.(a)		1	2	-	- 2	- 100
	Transport		319	317	322	5	2
		Passenger(b)(c)	11	11	14	3	27
		Freight(d)	24	24	25	1	4
		Other	162	161	158	- 3	- 2
		Postal and courier services(e)	122	121	125	4	3
	Travel(c)		1,650	1,715	1,701	- 14	- 1
	Other services		2,820	2,825	2,828	3	-
Memorandum item
	Tourism related services credits(f)		1,661	1,726	1,714	- 12	- 1

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
(a) This component is not seasonally adjusted.
(b) Passenger transportation services includes agency fees and commissions for air transport.
(c) This component has been seasonally adjusted using the forward factor method since March 2020 due to the impacts of COVID-19.
(d) In using these seasonally adjusted series, care should be exercised because of the difficulties associated with reliably estimating the seasonal pattern.
(e) Postal and courier services includes indirect commissions for sea transport.
(f) For a more detailed explanation of tourism related services, see the Explanatory notes.

Goods and services debits (imports), seasonally adjusted

Goods debits

	Seasonally Adjusted ($m)	Trend (a) ($m)
Jan-18	25,516	25,594
Feb-18	26,019	25,915
Mar-18	26,143	26,149
Apr-18	25,395	26,337
May-18	26,792	26,522
Jun-18	27,216	26,778
Jul-18	26,608	27,017
Aug-18	27,179	27,106
Sep-18	26,796	27,047
Oct-18	27,213	26,868
Nov-18	27,265	26,664
Dec-18	24,915	26,554
Jan-19	26,938	26,539
Feb-19	26,803	26,597
Mar-19	26,424	-
Apr-19	26,815	-
May-19	27,137	-
Jun-19	26,532	-
Jul-19	26,711	-
Aug-19	26,819	-
Sep-19	27,411	-
Oct-19	27,484	-
Nov-19	26,124	-
Dec-19	26,353	-
Jan-20	25,454	-
Feb-20	24,791	-
Mar-20	24,971	-
Apr-20	25,290	-
May-20	24,045	-
Jun-20	24,189	-
Jul-20	25,867	-
Aug-20	26,267	-
Sep-20	24,347	-
Oct-20	25,012	-
Nov-20	27,255	-
Dec-20	26,227	-
Jan-21	26,014	-
Feb-21	27,308	-
Mar-21	28,481	-
Apr-21	27,405	-
May-21	28,198	-
Jun-21	28,478	-
Jul-21	28,530	-
Aug-21	29,718	-
Sep-21	28,337	-
Oct-21	27,932	-
Nov-21	30,374	-
Dec-21	31,969	-
Jan-22	31,160	-

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(a) Trend series suspended from March 2019.

Goods debits (imports) (a), seasonally adjusted
			Nov-21 ($m)	Dec-21 ($m)	Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 (%)
Total goods debits			- 30,374	- 31,969	- 31,160	- 809	- 3
	General merchandise debits		- 29,900	- 31,398	- 30,646	- 752	- 2
		Consumption goods	- 9,044	- 9,715	- 9,792	77	1
		Capital goods	- 7,465	- 7,636	- 7,257	- 379	- 5
		Intermediate and other merchandise goods	- 13,392	- 14,047	- 13,597	- 450	- 3
	Non-monetary gold(b)		- 474	- 571	- 514	- 57	- 10

(a) For sign conventions, see the Explanatory notes.
(b) This component is not seasonally adjusted.

Consumption goods

Consumption goods(a), seasonally adjusted
	Nov-21 ($m)	Dec-21 ($m)	Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 (%)
Consumption goods	- 9,044	- 9,715	- 9,792	77	1
	Food and beverages, mainly for consumption	- 1,327	- 1,333	- 1,402	69	5
	Household electrical items	- 560	- 575	- 612	37	6
	Non-industrial transport equipment	- 1,782	- 2,241	- 2,265	24	1
	Textiles, clothing and footwear	- 1,700	- 1,718	- 1,680	- 38	- 2
	Toys, books and leisure goods	- 640	- 703	- 664	- 39	- 6
	Consumption goods n.e.s.	- 3,035	- 3,145	- 3,168	23	1

Capital goods

Capital goods(a), seasonally adjusted
	Nov-21 ($m)	Dec-21 ($m)	Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 (%)
Capital goods	-7,465	-7,636	-7,257	-379	-5
	Machinery and industrial equipment	-2,197	-2,248	-2,306	58	3
	ADP equipment	-1,186	-1,289	-1,291	2	-
	Telecommunications equipment	-1,177	-1,367	-1,195	-172	-13
	Civil aircraft and confidentialised items(b)(c)	-752	-784	-755	-29	-4
	Industrial transport equipment n.e.s.	-1,344	-1,403	-1,327	-76	-5
	Capital goods n.e.s.(d)	-809	-545	-383	-162	-30

Intermediate and other merchandise goods

Intermediate and other merchandise goods(a), seasonally adjusted
	Nov-21 ($m)	Dec-21 ($m)	Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 (%)
Intermediate and other merchandise goods	-13,392	-14,047	- 13,597	- 450	- 3
	Food and beverages, mainly for industry	- 198	- 197	- 203	6	3
	Primary industrial supplies n.e.s.(b)	- 487	- 206	- 184	- 22	- 11
	Fuels and lubricants(c)	- 3,509	- 3,639	- 3,543	- 96	- 3
	Parts for transport equipment	- 1,189	- 1,254	- 1,222	- 32	- 3
	Parts for ADP equipment	- 87	- 90	- 90	-	-
	Other parts for capital goods	- 1,752	- 1,913	- 1,788	- 125	- 7
	Organic and inorganic chemicals	- 428	- 640	- 570	- 70	- 11
	Paper and paperboard	- 200	- 222	- 183	- 39	- 18
	Textile yarn and fabrics	- 140	- 153	- 140	- 13	- 8
	Iron and steel	- 489	- 515	- 478	- 37	- 7
	Plastics	- 466	- 538	- 480	- 58	- 11
	Processed industrial supplies n.e.s.	- 4,374	- 4,621	- 4,693	72	2
	Other merchandise goods(d)	- 68	- 53	- 17	- 36	- 68
	Goods procured in ports by carriers(e)	- 5	- 5	- 5	-	-

Services debits

	Seasonally Adjusted ($m)	Trend (a) ($m)
Jan-18	7,901	7,908
Feb-18	8,042	8,019
Mar-18	8,170	8,111
Apr-18	8,154	8,184
May-18	8,176	8,247
Jun-18	8,301	8,309
Jul-18	8,451	8,368
Aug-18	8,393	8,415
Sep-18	8,406	8,445
Oct-18	8,505	8,455
Nov-18	8,523	8,455
Dec-18	8,371	8,463
Jan-19	8,450	8,485
Feb-19	8,482	8,513
Mar-19	8,585	-
Apr-19	8,636	-
May-19	8,602	-
Jun-19	8,476	-
Jul-19	8,554	-
Aug-19	8,635	-
Sep-19	8,562	-
Oct-19	8,519	-
Nov-19	8,412	-
Dec-19	8,639	-
Jan-20	8,595	-
Feb-20	8,404	-
Mar-20	6,079	-
Apr-20	3,849	-
May-20	3,829	-
Jun-20	3,835	-
Jul-20	3,749	-
Aug-20	3,783	-
Sep-20	3,731	-
Oct-20	4,037	-
Nov-20	4,146	-
Dec-20	4,126	-
Jan-21	3,979	-
Feb-21	4,098	-
Mar-21	4,142	-
Apr-21	4,220	-
May-21	4,287	-
Jun-21	4,384	-
Jul-21	4,482	-
Aug-21	4,561	-
Sep-21	4,704	-
Oct-21	4,677	-
Nov-21	4,925	-
Dec-21	4,972	-
Jan-22	5,199	-

["","Seasonally Adjusted","Trend (a)"]

[["Jan-18","Feb-18","Mar-18","Apr-18","May-18","Jun-18","Jul-18","Aug-18","Sep-18","Oct-18","Nov-18","Dec-18","Jan-19","Feb-19","Mar-19","Apr-19","May-19","Jun-19","Jul-19","Aug-19","Sep-19","Oct-19","Nov-19","Dec-19","Jan-20","Feb-20","Mar-20","Apr-20","May-20","Jun-20","Jul-20","Aug-20","Sep-20","Oct-20","Nov-20","Dec-20","Jan-21","Feb-21","Mar-21","Apr-21","May-21","Jun-21","Jul-21","Aug-21","Sep-21","Oct-21","Nov-21","Dec-21","Jan-22"],[[7901],[8042],[8170],[8154],[8176],[8301],[8451],[8393],[8406],[8505],[8523],[8371],[8450],[8482],[8585],[8636],[8602],[8476],[8554],[8635],[8562],[8519],[8412],[8639],[8595],[8404],[6079],[3849],[3829],[3835],[3749],[3783],[3731],[4037],[4146],[4126],[3979],[4098],[4142],[4220],[4287],[4384],[4482],[4561],[4704],[4677],[4925],[4972],[5199]],[[7908],[8019],[8111],[8184],[8247],[8309],[8368],[8415],[8445],[8455],[8455],[8463],[8485],[8513],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null]]]

[]

[{"axis_id":"0","tick_interval":"12","axis_min":"","axis_max":"","axis_title":"","precision":-1,"axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"$m","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(m)","table_units":"($m)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"$","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

(a) Trend series suspended from March 2019.

Services debits(a), seasonally adjusted
			Nov-21 ($m)	Dec-21 ($m)	Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 ($m)	Dec-21 to Jan-22 (%)
Total services debits			- 4,925	- 4,972	- 5,199	227	5
	Manufacturing services on physical inputs owned by others(b)		-	-	-	-	-
	Maintenance and repair services n.i.e.(b)		- 55	- 25	- 30	5	20
	Transport		- 1,983	- 2,038	- 2,194	156	8
		Passenger(c)(d)	- 116	- 109	- 140	31	28
		Freight	- 1,836	- 1,897	- 2,021	124	7
		Other(b)	- 19	- 19	- 16	- 3	- 16
		Postal and courier services(e)(f)	- 12	- 12	- 18	6	50
	Travel(d)		- 102	- 117	- 116	- 1	- 1
	Other services		- 2,785	- 2,792	- 2,859	67	2
Memorandum item
	Tourism related services debits(g)		- 218	- 226	- 256	30	13

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells).
(a) For sign conventions, see the Explanatory Notes.
(b) This component is not seasonally adjusted.
(c) Passenger services includes agency fees and commissions for air transport.
(d) This component has been seasonally adjusted using the forward factor method since March 2020 due to the impacts of COVID-19.
(e) Postal and courier services includes indirect commissions for sea transport.
(f) In using these seasonally adjusted series, care should be exercised because of the difficulties associated with reliably estimating the seasonal pattern.
(g) For a more detailed explanation of tourism related services, see the Explanatory notes.

Supplementary information

Selected commodities

Selected commodities, quantities (a)
	Aug-21 (%)	Sep-21 (%)	Oct-21 (%)	Nov-21 (%)	Dec-21 (%)	Jan-22 (%)
Iron ore - Lump	9	3	- 15	16	8	- 16
Iron ore - Fines	4	6	- 2	- 6	15	- 8
Coal - Hard coking	15	- 9	7	- 10	6	4
Coal - Semi-soft	2	11	- 6	- 5	- 14	11
Coal - Thermal	- 4	- 5	- 7	- 1	4	10
Gas - LNG	2	- 2	3	- 3	-	- 7

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
(a) Data in this table is on a revised international merchandise trade basis and excludes value adjustments applied to balance of payments series.

Selected commodities, unit values (a)
	Aug-21 (%)	Sep-21 (%)	Oct-21 (%)	Nov-21 (%)	Dec-21 (%)	Jan-22 (%)
Iron ore - Lump	- 21	- 27	- 7	- 13	8	18
Iron ore - Fines	- 21	- 26	- 20	- 13	14	22
Coal - Hard coking	17	20	30	15	- 10	- 26
Coal - Semi-soft	14	12	24	19	- 5	- 11
Coal - Thermal	15	8	19	12	- 12	7
Gas - LNG	8	9	10	12	- 1	1

(a) Data in this table is on a revised international merchandise trade basis and excludes value adjustments applied to balance of payments series.

Selected commodity movements

On an international merchandise trade basis, in original terms (noting the footnote in the above table), between December 2021 and January 2022 the largest movements recorded for the following selected commodities were:

Iron ore (lump), movement by country, Dec-21 to Jan-22
	Value ($m)	Value (%)	Quantity (%)	Unit Value (%)
Iron ore (lump) - Total movement	- 13	-	- 16	18
Japan	- 111	- 24	- 23	- 2
Korea, Republic of (South)	- 107	- 48	- 34	- 21
Indonesia	22	1 149	728	51
Hong Kong (SAR of China)	95	-	-	-
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)	121	7	- 17	28

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)

Iron ore (fines), movement by country, Dec-21 to Jan-22
	Value ($m)	Value (%)	Quantity (%)	Unit Value (%)
Iron ore (fines) - Total movement	839	13	- 8	22
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)	825	16	- 11	31
Hong Kong (SAR of China)	206	-	-	-
Taiwan	39	71	72	-
Japan	- 90	- 17	8	- 23
Korea, Republic of (South)	- 142	- 25	- 5	- 20

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)

Hard coking (high rank) coal, Dec-21 to Jan-22
	Value ($m)	Value (%)	Quantity (%)	Unit Value (%)
High rank coal - Total movement	- 862	- 24	4	- 26
Korea, Republic of (South)	- 310	- 48	- 36	- 19
India	- 253	- 22	7	- 28
Japan	- 167	- 27	- 1	- 27
Vietnam	- 139	- 48	- 26	- 30
France (includes Andorra and Monaco)	145	737	418	62

Semi soft coal, movement by country, Dec-21 to Jan-22
	Value ($m)	Value (%)	Quantity (%)	Unit Value (%)
Semi soft coal - Total movement	- 14	- 1	11	- 11
Japan	- 107	- 22	- 2	- 20
Vietnam	- 35	- 46	- 46	-
Indonesia	- 20	- 100	- 100	-
India	21	8	18	- 8
Korea, Republic of (South)	143	81	101	-10

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)

Thermal Coal, movement by country, Dec-21 to Jan-22
	Value ($m)	Value (%)	Quantity (%)	Unit Value (%)
Thermal coal - Total movement	564	18	10	7
Japan	443	29	25	3
Taiwan	153	58	36	16
Indonesia	64	324	226	30
Thailand	- 63	-56	-52	-8
Vietnam	- 89	- 58	- 41	- 29

Liquid Natural Gas, total movement, Dec-21 to Jan-22
	Value ($m)	Value (%)	Quantity (%)	Unit Value (%)
Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) - Total movement	-327	-5	-7	1

Selected commodities, quantity and unit value analysis - International merchandise trade basis: Original terms

International merchandise trade exports data presented in the above tables are based on information reported by exporters to the Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs). For commodities such as iron ore and coal, newly negotiated contract prices are not fully reflected in data first reported to Home Affairs. Final quantity and/or unit price information is updated progressively in international merchandise trade data as exporters revise the information provided to Home Affairs. When additional information for these commodities is available, the ABS may adjust the data to reflect actual transaction values.

Unit values in this publication are presented in Australian dollar terms. Movements in the unit values for some commodities incorporate movements in the United States dollar prices reported to Home Affairs and movements in the Australian dollar to United States dollar exchange rate.

Value adjustments

Goods credits on an international merchandise trade basis

On a merchandise trade basis, adjustments have been applied to iron ore lump and iron ore fines. When actual final transaction prices become available estimates are replaced with these data. For price and volume details, see the Selected commodities section.

Iron Ore Adjustment, Original Terms
	Jul-21 ($m)	Aug-21 ($m)	Sep-21 ($m)	Oct-21 ($m)	Nov-21 ($m)	Dec-21 ($m)	Jan-22 ($m)
Iron ore lump	-15	-65	-20	-10	10	-5	0
Iron ore fines	5	-80	-40	20	95	5	200

Goods credits on a balance of payments basis

Coal (in original terms)

On a balance of payments basis, adjustments have been applied to the coal, coke and briquettes component in January (+$1,315m) 2022. This adjustment takes into account additional information on the unit value of hard coking, semi-soft and thermal coal exports. To maintain consistency with the December quarter 2021 issue of Balance of Payments and International Investment Position, Australia released on 1 March 2022, previous adjustments have remained for September (+$5m), October (+$5m), November (+$55m) and December (+$1,020m) 2021.

In the international merchandise trade series, the unit value of coal, coke and briquettes fell 9.7% between November and December 2021 and fell 11.4% between December 2021 and January 2022.

In the balance of payments series, the unit value of coal, coke and briquettes fell 9.6% between November and December 2021 and rose 3.9% between December 2021 and January 2022.

International merchandise trade exports data presented in this publication are based on information reported by exporters to the Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs). At the time of initial reporting to Home Affairs, the final prices at which transactions take place are not known for some commodities. Final quantity and/or unit price information is updated progressively in international merchandise trade data as exporters revise the information provided to Home Affairs.

For commodities such as iron ore and coal, newly negotiated contract prices are not fully reflected in data first reported to Home Affairs. When additional information on quantity and/or unit price for these commodities is available, the ABS may adjust the data to reflect actual transaction values.

Iron ore adjustments are applied on an international merchandise trade basis at the Australian Harmonized Export Commodity Classification (AHECC) level. Coal, coke and briquettes are adjusted on a balance of payments basis in current price, original terms. When actual final transaction prices become available estimates are replaced with these data.

In most instances, transfer of ownership occurs when goods cross the customs frontier. In certain circumstances the change of ownership of large value capital expenditure items can occur prior to the items crossing the customs frontier. The ABS may adjust the relevant balance of payments series to record the timing when transfer of ownership was affected.

Revisions

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 5368.0.

Data downloads

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Time series spreadsheets

Data files

Table 1. Goods and services, summary - seasonally adjusted and trend estimates, current prices
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Table 2. Goods and services, summary - original, current prices
Download xlsx [127.53 KB]
Table 3. Goods credits, original, current prices
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Table 4. Goods debits, original, current prices
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Table 5. Goods credits, seasonally adjusted, current prices
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Table 6. Goods debits, seasonally adjusted, current prices
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Table 7. Goods credits, trend estimates, current prices
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Table 8. Goods debits, trend estimates, current prices
Download xlsx [293.86 KB]
Table 9. Services, summary - original, current prices
Download xlsx [161.94 KB]
Table 10. Services, summary - seasonally adjusted and trend estimates, current prices
Download xlsx [296.78 KB]
Table 11a. Services credits, original, current prices - quarterly
Download xlsx [421.34 KB]
Table 11b. Services debits, original, current prices - quarterly
Download xlsx [414.81 KB]
Table 12a. Merchandise exports, standard international trade classification (1 and 2 digit), FOB value
Download xlsx [233.58 KB]
Table 12b. Merchandise exports, standard international trade classification (3 digit), FOB value
Download xlsx [604.51 KB]
Table 13a. Merchandise imports, standard international trade classification (1 and 2 digit), customs value
Download xlsx [234.57 KB]
Table 13b. Merchandise imports, standard international trade classification (3 digit), customs value
Download xlsx [630.09 KB]
Table 14a. Merchandise exports, country and country groups, FOB value
Download xlsx [536.24 KB]
Table 14b. Merchandise imports, country and country groups, customs value
Download xlsx [525.9 KB]
Table 15a. Merchandise exports, state and Australia, FOB value
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Table 15b. Merchandise imports, state and Australia, customs value
Download xlsx [76.74 KB]
Table 16. Period average exchange rates, units of foreign currency per Australian dollar
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Table 17. Summary of revisions, goods and services
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Table 31. Merchandise exports, broad economic category, FOB value
Download xlsx [99.54 KB]
Table 32a. Merchandise exports, industry (ANZSIC 2006), FOB value
Download xlsx [81.8 KB]
Table 32b. Merchandise exports, industry (ANZSIC 1993), FOB value
Download xlsx [79.52 KB]
Table 33. Merchandise imports, broad economic category, customs value
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Table 34. Merchandise imports, balance of payments broad economic category, customs value
Download xlsx [284.05 KB]
Table 35a. Merchandise imports, industry (ANZSIC 2006), customs value
Download xlsx [81.58 KB]
Table 35b. Merchandise imports, industry (ANZSIC 1993), customs value
Download xlsx [78.67 KB]
Table 36a. Merchandise exports, state of origin New South Wales, by country and country groups, FOB value
Download xlsx [484.39 KB]
Table 36b. Merchandise exports, state of origin Victoria, by country and country groups, FOB value
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Table 36c. Merchandise exports, state of origin Queensland, by country and country groups, FOB value
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Table 36d. Merchandise exports, state of origin South Australia, by country and country groups, FOB value
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Table 36e. Merchandise exports, state of origin Western Australia, by country and country groups, FOB value
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Table 36f. Merchandise exports, state of origin Tasmania, by country and country groups, FOB value
Download xlsx [420.22 KB]
Table 36g. Merchandise exports, state of origin Northern Territory, by country and country groups, FOB value
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Table 36h. Merchandise exports, state of origin Australian Capital Territory, by country and country groups, FOB value
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Table 36i. Merchandise exports, state of origin not available, by country and country groups, FOB value
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Table 36j. Merchandise exports, re-exports, by country and country groups, FOB value
Download xlsx [448.38 KB]
Table 37a. Merchandise imports, state of destination New South Wales, by country and country groups, customs value
Download xlsx [497.71 KB]
Table 37b. Merchandise imports, state of destination Victoria, by country and country groups, customs value
Download xlsx [491.92 KB]
Table 37c. Merchandise imports, state of destination Queensland, by country and country groups, customs value
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Table 37d. Merchandise imports, state of destination South Australia, by country and country groups, customs value
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Table 37e. Merchandise imports, state of destination Western Australia, by country and country groups, customs value
Download xlsx [463.04 KB]
Table 37f. Merchandise imports, state of destination Tasmania, by country and country groups, customs value
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Table 37g. Merchandise imports, state of destination Northern Territory, by country and country groups, customs value
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Table 37h. Merchandise imports, state of destination Australian Capital Territory, by country and country groups, customs value
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Table 37i. Merchandise imports, state of destination not available, by country and country groups, customs value
Download xlsx [352.19 KB]
Table 91. Monthly combined seasonal adjustment factors
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Download all (372.83 KB)

Data Cubes

Data files

Table 18. Balance of payments broad economic categories (detailed level), by country, latest 7 months, customs value, ($million)
Download xls [1.07 MB]
Table 19. Balance of payments broad economic categories (1 and 2 digit), by country, latest 7 months, customs value, ($million)
Download xls [1.1 MB]

Methodology

International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia methodology, January 2022

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APA

International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia

APA

Key statistics

Main features

COVID-19

Suspension of trend estimates

Seasonal adjustment and COVID-19

Quality of international trade in services statistics

Changes to timing of release of International Trade, Supplementary Information, financial year (2020-21) and calendar year (2021)

Changes in this issue

Adoption of the Seventh Edition of the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS2022)

Update to the International Merchandise Trade, Australia: Concepts, Sources and Methods

Balance on goods and services

Goods and services credits (exports), seasonally adjusted

Goods credits

Rural goods

Non-rural goods

Services credits

Goods and services debits (imports), seasonally adjusted

Goods debits

Consumption goods

Capital goods

Intermediate and other merchandise goods

Services debits

Supplementary information

Selected commodities

Selected commodity movements

Selected commodities, quantity and unit value analysis - International merchandise trade basis: Original terms

Value adjustments

Goods credits on an international merchandise trade basis

Goods credits on a balance of payments basis

Revisions

Previous catalogue number

Data downloads

Time series spreadsheets

Table 1. Goods and services, summary - seasonally adjusted and trend estimates, current prices

Table 2. Goods and services, summary - original, current prices

Table 3. Goods credits, original, current prices

Table 4. Goods debits, original, current prices

Table 5. Goods credits, seasonally adjusted, current prices

Table 6. Goods debits, seasonally adjusted, current prices

Table 7. Goods credits, trend estimates, current prices

Table 8. Goods debits, trend estimates, current prices

Table 9. Services, summary - original, current prices

Table 10. Services, summary - seasonally adjusted and trend estimates, current prices

Table 11a. Services credits, original, current prices - quarterly

Table 11b. Services debits, original, current prices - quarterly

Table 12a. Merchandise exports, standard international trade classification (1 and 2 digit), FOB value

Table 12b. Merchandise exports, standard international trade classification (3 digit), FOB value

Table 13a. Merchandise imports, standard international trade classification (1 and 2 digit), customs value

Table 13b. Merchandise imports, standard international trade classification (3 digit), customs value

Table 14a. Merchandise exports, country and country groups, FOB value

Table 14b. Merchandise imports, country and country groups, customs value

Table 15a. Merchandise exports, state and Australia, FOB value

Table 15b. Merchandise imports, state and Australia, customs value

Table 16. Period average exchange rates, units of foreign currency per Australian dollar

Table 17. Summary of revisions, goods and services

Table 31. Merchandise exports, broad economic category, FOB value

Table 32a. Merchandise exports, industry (ANZSIC 2006), FOB value

Table 32b. Merchandise exports, industry (ANZSIC 1993), FOB value

Table 33. Merchandise imports, broad economic category, customs value

Table 34. Merchandise imports, balance of payments broad economic category, customs value

Table 35a. Merchandise imports, industry (ANZSIC 2006), customs value

Table 35b. Merchandise imports, industry (ANZSIC 1993), customs value

Table 36a. Merchandise exports, state of origin New South Wales, by country and country groups, FOB value

Table 36b. Merchandise exports, state of origin Victoria, by country and country groups, FOB value

Table 36c. Merchandise exports, state of origin Queensland, by country and country groups, FOB value

Table 36d. Merchandise exports, state of origin South Australia, by country and country groups, FOB value

Table 36e. Merchandise exports, state of origin Western Australia, by country and country groups, FOB value

Table 36f. Merchandise exports, state of origin Tasmania, by country and country groups, FOB value

Table 36g. Merchandise exports, state of origin Northern Territory, by country and country groups, FOB value

Table 36h. Merchandise exports, state of origin Australian Capital Territory, by country and country groups, FOB value

Table 36i. Merchandise exports, state of origin not available, by country and country groups, FOB value

Table 36j. Merchandise exports, re-exports, by country and country groups, FOB value

Table 37a. Merchandise imports, state of destination New South Wales, by country and country groups, customs value

Table 37b. Merchandise imports, state of destination Victoria, by country and country groups, customs value

Table 37c. Merchandise imports, state of destination Queensland, by country and country groups, customs value

Table 37d. Merchandise imports, state of destination South Australia, by country and country groups, customs value

Table 37e. Merchandise imports, state of destination Western Australia, by country and country groups, customs value